A. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates to a lacing configuration for footwear and in particular to a lacing configuration for a snowboard boot.
B. Description Of The Related Art
The laces on boots and large articles of footwear generally are difficult to tighten, especially when wet.
Boots are usually formed with a sole and an upper portion. The upper portion is usually made of a pliable material such as leather or a leather-like material. The upper portion is usually formed with central opening. A tongue is formed on a lower end of the opening, the tongue extending between the sides of the opening. The sides of the opening are usually formed with loops or eyelets through which a lace extends. The lace typically extends through the loops or eyelets in a criss-cross manner, going from side to side through the loops and eyelets. Typically the eyelets or loops are formed on opposite sides of the opening in equal numbers at equally spaced apart intervals, defining pairs of eyelets or loops.
When putting the boots on, the lower portions of the laces must typically be pulled tight near eyelets or loops separately from the tightening of the ends of the lace. For example, a large boot typically has seven or eight pairs of eyelets or loops through which the lace extends. Often a boot user must pull portions of the lace near a second or third set of eyelets tight and then successively move up the pairs of eyelets, grab the corresponding portions of the lace and tighten it further until the top or ends of the lace are finally tightened. Such an operation is particularly difficult if the boot and lace are wet from prior usage of the boot. Whether the lace is wet or dry, the criss-cross configuration of the lace and friction make it very difficult to tighten the lace easily.